Posted By Nicole On December 28, 2013 @ 7:00 am In Sweet Stuff | No Comments

I always look forward to a new year after Christmas because I like the idea of starting fresh, not just because I like to stay up late to watch fireworks and drink champagne on New Year’s Eve. It’s good to look back over the past year and remember some of the things that made it so great. I posted well over 150 recipes on Baking Bites this year, but some got a little bit more attention than others for one reason or another. Here is a countdown of the top 10 most popular recipes of 2013, a list that I hope to make a new tradition in years to come.

10. Oatmeal Lace Cookies are one of my go-to recipes when I want a quick cookie fix. They’re easy to make and delicious to eat, with a buttery brown sugar and oatmeal flavor that is dangerously addictive. They make great ice cream sandwiches, too.

9. Two Layer Pumpkin Pie Cheesecake is a fantastic holiday dessert that gives you two pies in one. A sweet and spicy pumpkin pie is baked on top of a dense, creamy cheesecake, so you get two beautiful colors in every slice and two complementary flavors in every bite.

8. Ultra Moist Banana Bundt Cake with Greek Yogurt is a great use for both overripe bananas and leftover Greek-style yogurt. As the name suggests, this super moist cake is loaded with lots of banana flavor. You could divide it in half for two banana bread loaves, instead of baking a whole bundt cake, too.

7. Cream Cheese Stuffed French Toast is one of my favorite indulgent brunch dishes, made by stuffing thick-cut challah or brioche with a lightly sweetened cream cheese mixture. It’s so good that you almost don’t need syrup to enjoy it. Perfect for a lazy Sunday morning.

5. Molten Microwave Chocolate Cake is the easiest, quickest chocolate cake that you can make. This recipe bakes two generous servings in just a few minutes – and you can’t beat that when you have an urgent chocolate craving.

4. Coconut Cream Whipped Cream is a nondairy alternative to regular whipped cream and is made with coconut cream, the fatty part of coconut milk. It has a light coconut flavor and is a hit with both vegan and nonvegan whipped cream lovers.

3. Buttermilk Magic Cake is a delicious dessert that “magically” bakes into two distinct layers in the oven, a custardy base and a light, tender cake. It’s like two desserts with half of the effort!

2. Vanilla Coconut Muffins are a delicious muffin recipe that I never get tired of – and if you’re a coconut fan, you won’t either. They feature a great combination of vanilla and coconut that is just addictive enough to keep bringing you back for batch after batch.

1. Peep-Infuse Vodka was the number one recipe of this year – and it’s not even a baking recipe! It is, however, a fantastic, fun recipe for adults to make on Easter and a great way to use up all of those leftover marshmallow Peeps that get stuffed into Easter baskets. The vodka can be used to make delicious cocktails, like a Peep Vodka Lemon Drop, and it makes a conversation-starting centerpiece for Easter brunch, too.